MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins prospects Tyler Jay, Tom Hackimer, LaMonte Wade and Chris Paul will represent the organization in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.
Jay, a left-handed pitcher, and Wade, an outfielder, rank among the club's Top 30 prospects, as Jay is ranked No. 8 and Wade is ranked No. 17, per MLBPipeline.com. The Twins will also send two more pitchers and an outfielder to Arizona.
The Arizona Fall League is a "finishing school" for prospects who are close the Majors. Generally speaking, if a team sends a player to the Fall League, it's an indication that the club thinks he has the chance to contribute in the big leagues in the near future. In other words, it's generally a short leap from the AFL to MLB.
2017 Arizona Fall League rosters
The league has a total of six teams, with five organizations represented on each. Every MLB team is required to send at least six players from its organization.
Jay, 23, recently returned to action after missing more than two months with left shoulder impingement. He made three relief appearances with the Gulf Coast League Twins before tossing two scoreless innings with Class A Advanced Fort Myers on Friday. The left-hander has impressive stuff, including a plus-slider, and has been moved to the bullpen full-time. He opened the year at Double-A Chattanooga, and health has been his biggest issue since being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 Draft.
Hackimer, a right-handed reliever, has been impressive between Class A Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, posting a 2.31 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. The 23-year-old sidearmer could open next year at Double-A Chattanooga.
Wade, 23, has strong on-base skills, as he's hit .282/.393/.390 with six homers, eight stolen bases and 62 RBIs in 110 games with Double-A Chattanooga. He has a career .402 on-base percentage since being taken in the ninth round of the 2015 Draft, but his power is still a work in progress, which could be an issue because he profiles more as a left fielder than a center fielder. But the Twins are high on his makeup and work ethic.
Paul, 24, has crushed the ball at Fort Myers, hitting .324/.378/.456 with three homers and 19 doubles in 59 games this year. But he missed more than two months with a left wrist sprain, and is older than most of the competition he's faced this year. He can play third base, first base and outfield, but the Twins are looking for more power from him.